'This Is Us' Star Jon Huertas Says Miguel Will Get His Chance at Redemption This Season

Jon Huertas is the man behind one of the most hated characters on television.

The 49-year-old plays Miguel Rivas on This Is Us,the heartbreaking NBC drama that has stolen (and subsequently broken) viewers' hearts during its past two seasons. But beloved as the series may be, Huertas's Miguel was not quite as accepted once fans realized he would eventually be taking the place of the show's hero, Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia).

After Jack's untimely death following a catastrophic slow cooker accident, it was revealed that his best friend (you guessed it) Miguel eventually ends up in a relationship with Jack's widow, Rebecca (Mandy Moore). This turn of events paints Miguel as the ultimate traitor—and both Jack and Rebecca's children and real-life supporters won't soon forget his betrayal.

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On Huertas's part, he understands why Miguel and Rebecca's connection gets fans so fired up. "I don’t like any kind of hate or haters, but I think it’s justified for the audience to be in the same position as the Pearson kids, because we’re experiencing the story through the Pearson kids’ eyes," he exclusively tells CountryLiving.com. "It’s fair that the audience has trepidation."

But there's always more to the story, especially on This Is Us. In upcoming seasons, Huertas says producers plan to "open up the satellite characters," and dive deeper into the backgrounds of Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown) and Kate Pearson's (Chrissy Metz) love interests, as well as Miguel. These revelations will likely lend a better understanding as to why Miguel and Rebecca got together.

"They’re going to do that with all of our characters and start to peel back the layers of the characters that love Kate, Kevin, and Randall," Huertas says. "There’s a possibility of finally seeing Miguel’s kids and how they fit into his life, so I think if we’re going to see the kids, we would have to find out what happens [with his ex Shelly]."

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Despite the drama surrounding his role, Huertas adds that he enjoys watching Miguel come to life, and takes part in the development of his on-screen counterpoint.

"Every season, I have a sit-down with the showrunners, Isaac [Aptaker] and Elizabeth [Berger], and we talk about what’s going to happen—ways of trying to win the audience’s heart with certain storylines," he says. "They love to take things from our own personal experiences and putting them into the characters."

Huertas, who has more than 20 years of experience under his belt with series like Castle and Generation Kill, also admits he even likes playing the villain.

"I actually really enjoy the challenge, as an actor, of getting the audience to like my character," he says. "One of the things that I’ve always taken away from teachers and coaches is that you always want your character to be likable—even if he’s the villain. It makes it way more interesting if the audience is having a hard time liking you."

But regardless of how you feel about Miguel now, know that he isn't going anywhere–and that he has big plans for redemption.

Huertas says, "The writers and Dan Fogelman have been saying, ‘You’ve got to trust us. There’s a very good reason and explanation for why Miguel and Rebecca end up together.'"

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